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Engineering students showcase capstone projects at CEAS Expo

Students presented 90 different projects offering innovative solutions to real-world problems

headshot of Anya Rao By Anya Rao 513-556-8373
4 minute read May 6, 2022

Graduating engineering students from University of Cincinnati’s College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS) gathered for the inaugural CEAS Expo in April to showcase their senior capstone projects to more than 500 attendees, including faculty, staff, alumni and industry representatives. The event, organized by the college and CEAS Tribunal student government, was held in downtown Cincinnati at the Duke Energy Convention Center. 

Students competed for prize money while presenting projects that represent the culmination of their time in the classroom and on co-op. There were 90 capstones on display, including computer programs, vehicles, chemical and environmental processes, medical devices and more. 

Before the 2010 merging of the two colleges that became what is now known as the College of Engineering and Applied Science, there was a similar expo open to all students. In recent years, there was a scaled-down CEAS Showcase that only included the top 20-30 capstone groups.    

“CEAS Dean John Weidner had a goal to bring back a college-wide expo,” said Alex Van Haaren, CEAS Tribunal president and a mechanical engineering student. “It was a super successful first year and we cannot wait to do it again next year. We heard great reviews from capstone groups, judges, attendees, staff, faculty and students.”

Prizes were awarded for the top 10 teams overall, best projects for each department, a crowd favorite and the judges' choice. 

Alex Hertlein headshot

Alex Hertlein's project won first place overall and first place for biomedical engineering. Photo/provided.

For first-place winner Alex Hertlein, his presentation at the expo marked the conclusion of a research project that was years in the making. The biomedical engineering student started working in College of Medicine professor Bryan Mackenzie’s research lab during the summer before his first year at UC. 

Hertlein’s project featured a potential new and more convenient treatment for hereditary hemochromatosis, an iron overload disorder — essentially the opposite of iron deficiency anemia — that effects 1 in 300 people in the U.S. 

“Throughout the years, I've randomly met several people whose families have been ravaged by hemochromatosis and they're always surprised (and so extremely grateful) that there is research being done that is aiming to help them and their family members live more comfortably with the disease,” he said.

Hertlein said it was a positive experience to showcase his work at the expo and also see the work of his classmates as they prepared to graduate from UC. After graduation, Hertlein is joining Siemens Digital Industries Software as a presales solution consultant.

“It was really neat walking around at the expo and seeing all the creative and effective solutions everyone had come up with — and solutions that address some very important problems in today's world,” Hertlein said. “Seeing companies from multiple industries not only sponsor but actively engage with me and other students demonstrated the vivid collaboration that UC (and CEAS) works so hard to maintain between industry and academia.”

2022 CEAS Expo Winners
Place Team Name/Project Team Members
1st Targeting the Iron-Absorptive Machinery in the Treatment of Hereditary Hemochromatosis Alexander Hertlein
2nd Solar Decathalon Office Team/Cordoba Solar Office Laith Bouizar, Michael Stearns, Danielle Hall, Allison Flavin, Nathan Tong
3rd Coastercats Mitchell Cholley, Charles Neate, Zachary Skidmore, Nathan Moormann, Matthew Novak, Brett Hoog
4th Battle Bots: Doomba Henry Tran, Jacob Hoffmann, Joseph Murphy
5th Articulating Robot Arm Kit - Mechanical Benjamin Pottmeyer, Hansaja Herath, John Paul Williams, Kyle Balko
6th FRP Platform Michael Malchesky
7th Sonicats Adam Ringheisen, Brian Murphy, Josh Clabbers, Tyler Clevenger, Spencer Chamberlin, Nick Kearns, Cole Rutter, Stephen Sober, Ian Wells
8th UC Solar Project Allison Gouge, Samuel Burt, Evan DeMars, Esther Hughes, Allie Mullinger
9th Tissue Engineered Model for Uterine Fibroids Anna Pyo
Best of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics AeroCats Justin Boreman, Elliott Burdick, Marshall Dunlap, Kyle Fishleigh, Aidan Flanigan, Jake Holsapple, Jacob Huelsman, Cole Isaacs, Camron Jolley, Areya Joya, Max Kleinhenz, Nicklaus Krauser, Cameron Long, Sharon Macumber, David Mulligan, Alex Newberg, Joshua Ogorzaly, Sam Orians, Taylor Reinhart, Brandon Rider, Dylan Roach, Elizabeth Rochford, Phillip Rump
Best of Biomedical Engineering Targeting the Iron-Absorptive Machinery in the Treatment of Hereditary Hemochromatosis Alexander Hertlein
Best of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Elderly Virtual Assistant Alexander Davison, Sriran Kodavati, Yugo Kadowaki, Andrew Matthews
Best of Mechanical and Materials Engineering Coastercats Mitchell Cholley, Charles Neate, Zachary Skidmore, Nathan Moormann, Matthew Novak, Brett Hoog
Best of Chemical and Environmental Engineering UC Solar Project Allison Gouge, Samuel Burt, Evan DeMars, Esther Hughes, Allie Mullinger
Best of Civil and Architectural Engineering and Construction Management Solar Decathalon Office Team/Cordoba Solar Office Laith Bouizar, Michael Stearns, Danielle Hall, Allison Flavin, Nathan Tong
Crowd Favorite T-shirt Cannon Christopher Lopez, Tanner Krumpelman, Jordan Tichenor
Judges Favorite Industrial Robot Arm Kit Mark Bertke, Andrew Hudepohl, Kristian Abood
A group of college students explain to onlookers about the T-shirt cannon they built
Full Gallery

More than 500 attendees explored 90 student capstone projects at CEAS Expo. Photos/Corrie Mayer/UC CEAS Marketing.

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